2015-2016 IRS Tax Season Begins January 15 or January 19, 2016

January 11, 2016 by Income Tax Pro

Previously the IRS had announced that they will begin
the 2015-2016 income tax return filing season on Tuesday January 19, 2016. We recently noticed a
statement on the IRS Free File
web page indicating a possible earlier open on January 15, 2016. Opening on Friday January 15, 2016
would put the IRS back on track with their historical open dates.

IRS Tax Season Open Dates Past And Present:

Friday, January 16, 2009

Friday, January 15, 2010

Friday, January 14, 2011

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 (Friday 13th)

Wednesday, January 30, 2013 (Friday 18th)

Friday, January 31, 2014 (Friday 17th)

Friday, January 16, 2015

Tuesday, January 19, 2016 (Friday 15th)

Normally we would just dismiss this as a web page typo, however, we also noticed the footing "Page
Last Reviewed or Updated: 25-Dec-2015". The official press releases to date from the IRS still indicate the
IRS open date
as January 19, 2016. But we can't resist the temptation to do what this major IRS web page suggests:
"Please check back on January 15 to file your 2015 tax return.".

Officially the IRS will not begin processing paper or electronically filed income tax returns until
January 19, 2016. You can print, fill-in, and mail your
Form 1040EZ,
Form 1040A, or
Form 1040
before the open date. Forms W-2 from employers, Forms 1099 from banks, and other
important tax documents are not due to you until February 1, 2016.

Printable federal tax forms, state tax forms, tax form instructions booklet,
income tax brackets, software, prices and features may change without notice or be
outdated. Use of this web site is not a consultation. The current tax year for individuals is
2017, with taxes due April 17, 2018.